SpotCrime - The Public's Crime Map

Abstract This paper examines the recent cessation of public crime data reporting by the Colonial Heights Police Department (CHPD) in Virginia, using it as a case study to explore broader trends in law enforcement transparency. The analysis reveals how technological advancement paradoxically correlates with decreased public access to crime data, despite improved data management capabilities revealing broader implications for law enforcement agencies across the United States, where increasing reliance on technology often leads to unintended reductions in transparency. Introduction In April 2024, the Colonial Heights Police Department, serving a population of approximately 18,000 residents, discontinued its 14-year practice of publishing monthly crime blotter reports. This decision represents a concerning trend in law enforcement transparency that warrants examination, particularly given the concurrent technological improvements in data management systems. Background and Context Historica...

One of the biggest drivers behind the current police reform demands in the US is police data . There are a myriad of police datasets available within a police department that paint a picture of the inner workings and behavior of its officers with the public. There are many different datasets circulating within a police agency. One of the least ‘sensitive’ data points (the lowest hanging fruit) is the data SpotCrime asks for from police agencies nationwide - Records Management System (RMS) data and Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD/911) data. This data has been around and released to the media and public for centuries . It includes what is known as a ‘crime blotter’ - a list of what and where crime occurs throughout the day within a police jurisdiction and what where and when police respond to the public’s calls for service. At SpotCrime we believe in and encourage police departments to embrace open crime data. ‘Open’ meaning the data is available in machine readable format (ex. API...

George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Philando Castille. The list goes on . All were victims of failed policing - use of force, implicit bias, ineffective policing, and bad community relationships. Good policing relationships are based on trust . To obtain trust, transparency is needed to cultivate healthy police-community relationships fostering an effective and open accountability feedback loop between the police and the communities they serve.  Crime datasets are a good place to start when building trust. Think of crime data transparency or open crime data as the basis for a grassroots (and free) neighborhood oversight board. This level transparency telegraphs a modern, progressive, and accountable police department that is focused on facing the data to improve operations.  Asking for open crime data means requiring police agencies to release more than just annual FBI UCR/NIBRS data . It means demanding timely, robust, and raw datasets that are available for anyone to access, do...

We’ve updated the SpotCrime Crime Data Transparency Ranking that was featured on GovTech early April 2015 . Let’s start with the good: Dallas, TX - We stand corrected! When the GovTech article was published, we had Dallas at a 1 ranking because their system went down and there was no data available for a while. However, by the time the GovTech article was published their system was up and running again, but we failed to update their ranking. After they reached out to express concern for their ranking we checked into things and rightfully moved them back to a 2! Albuquerque, NM - Moved from a 1 to a 2! ABQ is now OPEN for business! They began publishing an easy to digest feed. Our residents in Albuquerque have been pretty happy about the timely updates we’ve been able to make to their SpotCrime alerts. Pittsburgh, PA - Moved from a 1 to a 2! Pittsburgh began posting data in a machine readable format! Woohoo! Jacksonville, FL - Moved from a 1 to a 2 Jacksonville turned ...

SpotCrime  is now mapping crime in Toledo, OH! Toledo is the 4th most populous city in Ohio with a population of over 285k. In the past, we've been mapping crime from local trusted media outlets. Now, the police department is supplying information on their website for the first time since SpotCrime has been around. This is a great step in the right direction for transparency in Toledo! By making crime data publicly available and accessible, residents are able to check out, review, and share the information quickly.  Interested in learning about crime in your Toledo neighborhood? Check out SpotCrime or MyLocalCrime . On a mobile device? You can find the SpotCrime app in the iTunes and Google Play stores. Or check out SpotCrime.info on your mobile device. Stay aware, stay safe!

We’ve updated our Crime Data Transparency Ranking table. Check out the new table below and make sure to check out our previous blog for information on how we rank each city. We’re keeping a live table available to view any time we make updates  here . Static list of SpotCrime Crime Data Transparency rankings. View a live list here . Way to go Boston and New York City! These are the two cities we happily upgraded. Boston now posts their crime data on their open data site - they’ve been upgraded from a 1 to a 2. NYC is now publishing the NYPD Crime Map. They went from giving out almost no information to giving out monthly data. Since the data is monthly and there’s no true download option for all of the data, we’ve only upgraded them to a 1 (previously a 0). Colorado Springs doesn’t have an all-inclusive feed, but they are producing a crime blotter. We’ve moved them from a 0 to a 1. We’ve added New Orleans (NOLA) to our list. They’ve started posting data on t...